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Enhancing Malaria Treatment with Community-Based Health Workers

Investigating the impact of community-based health workers on the provision of timely and appropriate malaria treatment in rural areas. Examining preferences for treatment providers and assessing the effectiveness of the strategy.

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Enhancing Malaria Treatment with Community-Based Health Workers

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  1. Health seeking for malaria before and after the implementation of a community-based health worker strategy: Implications for providing timely and appropriate treatment of malaria? Obinna Onwujekwe, Nkem Dike, Benjamin Uzochukwu, Elvis Shu and Paul Okonkwo Gates Malaria Partnership LSHTM and College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Enugu

  2. Problem statement • Malaria is the number one public health problem in Nigeria • Limited access to good-quality health providers especially in rural areas • People with malaria indulge in health-seeking behavior that might lead to wrong diagnosis and inappropriate consumption of drugs. • Most mothers treat malaria at home, with inappropriate and inadequate doses of drugs (Okonkwo et al, 2001). • African Heads of State meeting in Abuja adopted effective treatment of malaria nearer the home as one of the strategies for malaria control in Africa (WHO, 2000). • Home treatment is the current global focus for provision of near and appropriate treatment of malaria • No evidence that home treatment is the best or the most preferred strategy by consumers for the timely treatment of malaria • Community-based health workers (CBHW) could be effectively used to bring treatment of malaria closer to the homes

  3. Aim:Investigate whether the CBHW strategy could be used to improve the provision of near and appropriate treatment of malaria Operational definitions • Home treatment: Malaria treatment undertaken by householders without recourse to diagnosis and/or treatment by trained health personnel. • Home management: All actions taken in the home to manage a malaria case with or without recourse to diagnosis and/or treatment by trained health personnel. • Community-based health worker: A residence of a community (could be an indigene or non-indigence), who is trained and provides treatment for malaria to his/her community members. • Community-based treatment: Treatment that is provided within a malaria sufferer’s community

  4. Study design: • A prospective study was undertaken in four rural Nigerian villages with all year high malaria transmission rate. • The study was conducted in five phases which were: • (1) the first survey that was used to collect baseline data in the four villages • (2) the participatory design of the intervention in the two intervention villages (Adu and Ahani) • (3) the implementation, supervision and monitoring of the intervention in the two intervention villages • (4) a second survey to evaluate the intervention at the end of the third phase • (5) the handing over of the project to the community

  5. Results Before implementation of CBHW • Self-diagnosis was the most common diagnostic method in the 4 villages • Patent medicine dealers (chemists) were the most common source of treatment • Minor use of home treatment and CBHW • Ready drug availability, good quality services and closeness were major determinants of care seeking • CBHW were mostly preferred for provision of near and appropriate treatment of malaria After implementation of CBHW • Marked decline in use of home treatment and increased use of CBHW in intervention villages • Shift of some patients from chemists to CBHW in intervention villages • CBHW still mostly preferred in intervention villages

  6. Table 1: Expressed preference for the provision of near and appropriate treatment before the implementation of CBHW

  7. Table 2: Expressed preferences for different providers for timely and appropriate treatment of malaria after implementation of the CBHW strategy

  8. Table 3: Places where treatment was first sought before implementation of CBHW system

  9. Table 4: Places where treatment was first sought after implementation of CBHW system

  10. CONCLUSION • Villagers backed up their preferences by actually paying for care from the community-based health workers. • People will not use home treatment and patent medicine dealers if there are better treatment options are readily available • Community based workers were most likely to improve rational use of drugs when compared with most providers found in the villages • Improvement in methods of diagnosis (?rapid) and treatment of malaria through an enhanced PHC system could be the best strategy to improve appropriate and timely treatment of malaria • Increased number and improved quality of trained malaria treatment providers == Improve the healthcare system

  11. AREAS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH • Implementation research to determine the effectiveness of scaling-up the use of CBHW strategy to improve the treatment of malaria in rural areas. • Cost-effectiveness analysis, acceptability and sustainability comparison of CBHW with other means of treating malaria nearer the homes, such as home treatment in different settings • Develop how the CBHW strategy could become part of the PHC system for its sustainability and enhanced status Funding agency: International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada

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